Gareth Jenkins & team
UBS
Rising from runner-up to third is the UBS team of four under Gareth Jenkins; he also leads the crew that ranks second in Technology/Semiconductors. The London-based analysts, who follow 18 stocks, have an “impressive global reach,” according to one ally. “We are neutral on the sector globally,” Jenkins says, “and look for stock-specific ideas with attractive valuations.” Examples include Cisco Systems, a U.S.-based manufacturer of networking equipment, and Spirent Communications, a network-testing outfit headquartered in the U.K. The team will also be keeping a close eye on Finland’s Nokia Corp. and its mobile-platform alliance with U.S.-based Microsoft Corp. Last month the smartphone manufacturer reported positive quarterly results for the first time in nearly two years, but the market was unimpressed; shares slid more than 5 percent on the day of the announcement. This year will be “a make-or-break year for both the Windows Phone 8 operating system and, by default, Nokia,” he says.
— Pam Baker